Qantas says no change in Iran flight plans
Australia’s Qantas has announced that it will maintain flight plans over Iran despite moves by some carriers to change aviation paths in the wake of a warning by the European regulator about Russian missile activity.
Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce has been quoted by the media as saying that his airline has robust procedures and worked with governments around the globe to check the risks, issues and safety concerns of the airspace it used.
“If we believed any airspace had risks that were unacceptable and meant that it wasn’t safe to fly through, Qantas would not be flying through them,’’ Joyce has told Australia’s National Press Club.
He emphasized that the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) had outlined the issues but had not made a recommendation and other airlines were still flying over Iran.
Joyce said if a problem did emerge, Qantas would stop flying through the airspace. “But the information that we have, it is safe to do so,’’ he said.
Malaysia Airlines, Cathay Pacific and Air France have all reportedly made changes as a result of the warning from the EASA about Russian missiles being used in the area.
EASA raised the alarm after missiles aimed at targets in Syria and launched from warships in the Caspian Sea last Tuesday and Wednesday passed over Iraq and Iran.
About 800 flights a day could be affected if the airspace was restricted but the safety agency did not make any recommendations and said it had issued the alert to inform airspace users about the hazard.
An alternative route via Saudi Arabia and Egypt is understood to add about an hour to flights.
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